This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 84 - 84 84 Mighty Power

?Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Mighty Power Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Mighty Power In Alchemy City, an intense battle raged.

The Paladin Legion formed a formation sharp as a sword’s edge, weaving through the Undead Army, nearly routing Withered Rose’s forces.

The suppressive effects of Holy Light on the undead were horrendously effective, and the strength of these Paladins converged perfectly, making the legion invincible.

Holy Light transformed into blades, slicing the Undead Army into pieces, leaving them incapable of mounting any effective resistance.

James Watson did not join the troops in their charge, as such Legendary powerhouses, charging with their subordinates was a sheer waste.

As a Light Priest, James Watson mastered over a hundred Divine Arts, and what he needed to do now was to hover above the battlefield, continuously blessing his troops with Divine Arts.

Group Courage Spell, Healing Words, Anti-Death Barrier, Chain of Guardianship… With various Divine Arts in effect, the combat power of this Paladin troop directly increased by more than tenfold. Since the battle began, not one had been injured, yet they had already slain hundreds of undead.

Had it not been for the presence of many powerful Death Knights and the unnaturally high number of Magipuppet Automatons in the enemy’s forces, the Paladins would have won already. However, it was now only a matter of time; this Undead force seemed haphazardly assembled, and their troop composition was exceptionally irrational.

Suddenly, a dark green streak of light flew from the side, hitting James Watson with precision.

Death’s Touch, this high-order Necromancy Spell, reputed to be capable of instantaneously slaying a Giant Dragon, would, upon successfully killing its target, turn the victim into a Zombie under the control of the Spellcaster.

However, that devastating Dark Corrosive Energy could not penetrate James Watson’s Magic Shield, only shattering an Enchanted Ring in his hand.

James Watson sneered, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

A dazzling radiance lit up above James Watson’s head, spreading out as a fierce halo.

In midair, Withered Rose’s figure was blasted out by the halo, as Holy Fire spread over her, relentlessly burning her undead flesh.

This was a Divine Art that only a Light Priest could master—Dawn’s Light, drawing on the power of the Lord of the Dawn to create a halo that dispelled all darkness, not just the physical environment, but also any lurking creatures of darkness nearby.

Withered Rose had been concealing herself using a High-Level Invisibility Spell all along, she had taken a risk by using Death’s Touch, aiming to take down James Watson. She hadn’t expected such a powerful Necromancy Spell to be blocked by him, and that he would counterattack instantly.

The power of Holy Light continued to erode Withered Rose’s body, furiously burning with Dark Magic Power as nourishment, enveloping her entire form.

Any other undead would have been in agonizing pain, rolling on the ground.

But Withered Rose appeared unfazed, letting the Holy Light spread through her body while her blood-red eyes stared fixedly at James Watson through the light’s obstruction.

James Watson only felt a numbness spreading through his body; he acutely sensed Dark Magic Power invading his flesh, as if his chest had been excavated, filled with an abundance of putrid, rotting fluid.

The pain was not significant; the numbness dominated, rendering his body stiff and rigid.

James Watson had no choice but to cast a High-Level Restoration Spell on himself, a Divine Art that could lift most curses. The effect wasn’t nonexistent—in the instant the Divine Art was cast, the numb sensation indeed disappeared, but as soon as the Divine Art ended, the feeling quickly resurfaced.

This was a continuously recurring curse effect, with Dark Magic Power steadily eroding his body, intent on turning him into undead.

Facing such a dreadful curse, James Watson thought of a fearsome name.

“So it’s you, you’re the Undead Queen who invaded Laine two hundred years ago!”

Withered Rose let out a maniacal laugh, “Hahaha, the moment your shield shattered, I had already locked onto you with Soul Fire. Struggle is futile, become my puppet; I’ll turn you into the most vile Zombie and hang you on Laine’s capital gates.”

“You arrogant Undead.”

Even when facing a Legendary figure, James Watson showed no panic, casting on himself what could be considered an exceedingly common Spell—Vapor Form.

It was a very common Spell that could turn the caster’s body into mist, completely immune to physical attacks and most magical attacks. Typically, it was used to navigate through special terrains, like squeezing through door cracks or passing through pipes, etc.

Amberser had once used this Spell to sneak through a narrow sewer entrance.

Although Withered Rose’s Gaze of Death was extremely powerful, constantly pouring Dark Magic Power into the target, forcibly converting them into undead, it required a living organism as its prerequisite.

Vapor Form transformed the human body entirely into mist, not an illusion, but tangible vapor.

In this state, no amount of Dark Magic Power could further alter James Watson’s body, effectively neutralizing Withered Rose’s strongest move.

But such a move was not without cost.

In a vaporized state, James Watson lost most of his Spell Casting Ability, rendering many of the Divine Arts he had cast on the Paladin Legion ineffective.

The Paladin Legion, which had been wreaking havoc amongst the undead and Magipuppet Automatons, suddenly slowed down. Without speed, the cavalry found it hard to win just by formations.

Nonetheless, James Watson was confident that the Paladins’ strength alone was enough to slaughter all their enemies.

As expected, as soon as their speed decreased, the Paladins dispersed and battled with their swords glowing with Holy Light, their Holy Slashes as lethal as ever, not faltering much compared to the previous group charge.

James Watson also wasn’t worried about Withered Rose turning to face those Paladins, as he knew her Gaze of Death required full concentration to cast. Should she shift her focus, he too could revert to his original form and continue to support the Paladins.

In terms of support abilities, Withered Rose, the Undead Queen, simply couldn’t compare with James Watson, the Light Priest.

James Watson thought, “I’m lucky this time. The undead queen’s forces are incredibly fragile. Once we secure victory on the battlefield below, the Paladin Legion can concentrate its power and eliminate the Undead Queen. Though it’s merely purifying her body, it’s still a decent harvest.”

Just as James Watson felt the upper hand was his, a sudden loud crash, like a meteorite impact, thundered through the air.

The Headless Knight, astride an Eight-Legged Giant Horse, suddenly appeared and charged towards the Paladin Legion.

The Giant and his horse, together over ten meters tall, were truly a monster. Wrapped in Dark Magic Power, he became a smoldering meteor hurling towards the Paladins with a frenzied momentum.

Headless Knight Gareth, a man who once brought shame to the Empire.

Back then, he was just a lone undead, finding an escape with only a rusty sword. His achievements seemed formidable, managing to escape from a siege of a thousand Paladins, but there were many times where survival was due to sheer luck and reliance on ambushes and traps.

But now, things were different. Gareth wore top-tier Enchanted Armor forged by the Dragon Race and rode a specially cultivated undead warhorse. Combined, they turned into an unstoppable dark torrent.

In front of Gareth, magipuppet automatons built of metal were mere insects to be squashed underfoot or flung aside, not to mention the even frailer undead, which were blown away like dead leaves in the whirlwind of his charge.

Ignoring friend and foe, the Knight’s charge did not spare his own and targeted only the scattered Paladins.

James Watson’s face was etched with shock. Where had this Headless Knight come from?

The poor Light Priest didn’t know that the captured Paladins had all been trained under Amberser’s “Bewitchment Spell” and had their memories of Gareth sealed away. They only knew they had fallen into Amberser’s trap and were captured, but couldn’t recall specifics.

As a result, James Watson was unaware of Gareth’s existence.

Nor would Alchemy City, that had always wanted to trick James Watson, voluntarily provide detailed intelligence, keeping the Supreme Decree in the dark.

Time was too short. If James Watson hadn’t started fighting as soon as he entered the city, perhaps he could have checked and found out their memories had been tampered with and prepared accordingly. Now, he could only suffer the consequences of misinformation.

The Paladins scattered in formation had no chance of stopping Gareth, getting crushed into pulp under the heavy hooves or sent flying.

Gareth did not engage in fancy spells; it was a straightforward charge. This sheer force was enough to shatter all of the Paladins’ defenses.

Above the battlefield, James Watson saw a thick black fog cutting through, leaving a terrible ravine in its wake.

At least thirty Paladins perished in that one charge, with many others severely injured by being thrown aside.

James Watson could no longer stay aside and voluntarily dispelled the vapor form spell’s effect.

As soon as he regained his human shape, that numb feeling enveloped him again; Withered Rose had no intention of letting him go.

With no way out, James Watson knew he had to resort to his strongest powers if he did not wish to be turned into a zombie.

Ignoring the changes to his body, James Watson recited Lord of the Dawn’s praises with the utmost devotion. Countless platinum lights began to descend from the sky, wrapping James Watson completely like a heavenly tapestry.

The power of a Light Priest was a gift from the Deity, and the strongest power of a Light Priest was, naturally, summoning the Divine Presence.

Divine Intervention, a Divine Art so potent that even a Light Priest of Legendary Rank could only use it once a year.

In the depths of despair, he prayed earnestly to the Lord of the Dawn, beseeching a mere glance from the deity.

Holy Light fell from the sky, and the towering presence of the Lord of the Dawn manifested, surveying the city from His Divine Realm.

A rumbling thunder erupted, shaking Alchemy City to its core; the earth split open, and clouds of dust rose into the sky.

James Watson had just started to feel grateful for the tremendous power of the deity, but he quickly realized something was amiss.

The earthquake shaking Alchemy City had nothing to do with the Divine Intervention, which had not yet fully unleashed its power.

It seemed as though something beneath the city was destroying it!